Is there a Godly way to offend people?

[Thornbird]

6 hours ago, appy said:

The original post asks the question “Is there a Godly way to offend people?” The answer should be a resounding NO. When it comes to Christians, No congregation enjoys sermons that leave a knife (barbed remarks) sticking in the back of whoever is the target .

Its often touted as “causing others to think outside the box” because they say... “the bible uses it”. The difference is that the bible is never coarse. Our attitude and approach are not the same. We are not the writers of the bible.

Sarcasm in a ministry is NOT witty..... it is hostility. I'm not speaking of its cousin “satire”, but specifically of sarcasm. Especially on a message board where tone of voice and facial expressions are absent.

Doesn't matter if people are sensitive or not, dishing out barbs and displaying superiority of knowledge above others is NOT helpful. As a matter of fact, they leave bleeding wounds.

When Christians use sarcasm it bears passive-aggressiveness and bitter fruit in the hearer's and teaches others to be harsh and unloving themselves. A person might have a knack for dishing out sarcasm, but it has no place in the pulpit, or when sharing the gospel message.

The bible teaches us to speak to others with grace, tact, and politeness.

Colossians 4:6
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

With regard to unbelievers. It is true that as believers, we carry an offensive message; no doubt about that. But we do NOT need to carry our offensive message “offensively”. Yes, unbeliever's need to know what sin is and what it is not, but our “message” should not be all law, judgment, and condemnation before they can see and taste God's goodness and what God has in store for them.

It is important to choose our words and actions with care and compassion, well seasoned with tact and grace, so that they can see a side of Christianity they've never experienced.

I've encountered those you describe. And their "reasoning". 

 

Beautifully said. Amen! ?

[Guest]

17 hours ago, appy said:

The original post asks the question “Is there a Godly way to offend people?” The answer should be a resounding NO. When it comes to Christians, No congregation enjoys sermons that leave a knife (barbed remarks) sticking in the back of whoever is the target .

Its often touted as “causing others to think outside the box” because they say... “the bible uses it”. The difference is that the bible is never coarse. Our attitude and approach are not the same. We are not the writers of the bible.

Sarcasm in a ministry is NOT witty..... it is hostility. I'm not speaking of its cousin “satire”, but specifically of sarcasm. Especially on a message board where tone of voice and facial expressions are absent.

Doesn't matter if people are sensitive or not, dishing out barbs and displaying superiority of knowledge above others is NOT helpful. As a matter of fact, they leave bleeding wounds.

When Christians use sarcasm it bears passive-aggressiveness and bitter fruit in the hearer's and teaches others to be harsh and unloving themselves. A person might have a knack for dishing out sarcasm, but it has no place in the pulpit, or when sharing the gospel message.

The bible teaches us to speak to others with grace, tact, and politeness.

Colossians 4:6
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

There's many offensive responses going on on forums too otherwise I wouldn't have nine people on Ignore.

[appy]

41 minutes ago, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

There's many offensive responses going on on forums too otherwise I wouldn't have nine people on Ignore.

That is a long list there.  Don't forget there is also the option of reporting an offensive post. 

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, appy said:

That is a long list there.  Don't forget there is also the option of reporting an offensive post. 

On TOL, I got into the 30s before I left.  BF and both Christian Forums were much lower in Ignored Users before I left but I'm still a member in good standing everywhere I've been.  I was also a member of another Christian forum but I don't remember the name and I do not believe they still exist.  My reports here seemed to be deemed insignificant to warrant any action.  So the only tool I have is the Ignore option.  It works for me. 

I don't believe I've been missed from the other Christian forums I've been a part of.  My conservative Christian values got me in trouble once, my conservative politics another.  Calling a moderator biased got me banned for a year.  I haven't noticed ANY bias here at all.  This feels like a great, well moderated site that I hope will have me for a long time to come, the Good Lord willing.

 

[appy]

2 minutes ago, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

Calling a moderator biased got me banned for a year. 

Ouch.

 

[MrBear]

5 minutes ago, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

On TOL, I got into the 30s before I left.  BF and both Christian Forums were much lower in Ignored Users before I left but I'm still a member in good standing everywhere I've been.  I was also a member of another Christian forum but I don't remember the name and I do not believe they still exist.  My reports here seemed to be deemed insignificant to warrant any action.  So the only tool I have is the Ignore option.  It works for me. 

I don't believe I've been missed from the other Christian forums I've been a part of.  My conservative Christian values got me in trouble once, my conservative politics another.  Calling a moderator biased got me banned for a year.  I haven't noticed ANY bias here at all.  This feels like a great, well moderated site that I hope will have me for a long time to come, the Good Lord willing.

 

I learned you can learn a lot from people you don’t always get along with

Friends have a habit of not telling you when you say something out of order, likewise people that you can’t agree with sometimes open a new veiw on things you might have been wrong about, I will look and contemplate.. if they change my mind then I gained something if they are just spewing hate then I don’t get baited into meaningless quarrels

Proverbs 15:31
He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise
I tend not to ignore because I might miss a morsel of truth but I don’t get involved if it’s just egocentric rebuke

thats just how I approach it 

SHALOM❤️

[Guest]

What's worse, the wonderful lady I was conversing with had a great conversation going on.  She being slightly left of center, me being right of center politically had reached common ground and mutual respect for one another.  Someone else (don't know who) didn't like that so we both got reported.  I don't know if her banning was as long as mine but I didn't find her the last time I looked.  She probably didn't accuse the moderator of bias.  Smart lady.

[MrBear]

Hey I once got banned from a forum for talking about the book of Enoch ?

I just prayed for them and moved on 

I have enjoyed your posts, we can all be a little overzealous sometimes it’s all love ?

SHALOM❤️

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, MrBear said:

Hey I once got banned from a forum for talking about the book of Enoch ?

I just prayed for them and moved on 

I have enjoyed your posts, we can all be a little overzealous sometimes it’s all love ?

SHALOM❤️

Bible Translations is another rough one.  I don't remember if it was here or TOL, but I got accused of quoting from a heretical bible because I was using the ESV which they rated as bad as the NASB.  I bowed out of that conversation.  It had trouble written all over it.  They were using the 1611 KJV, nothing else would do.

[MrBear]

Just now, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

Bible Translations is another rough one.  I don't remember if it was here or TOL, but I got accused of quoting from a heretical bible because I was using the ESV which they rated as bad as the NASB.  I bowed out of that conversation.  It had trouble written all over it.  They were using the 1611 KJV, nothing else would do.

I know the feeling I was a sworn KJV for a long time begat begat begat begot … my Dad was like you got all these bibles and they are all KJV? I said is there another Bible?

I can see people getting ruffled about translations they don’t like that I quote from the HSCB sometimes

i have even had other Christians get mad because of my crucifix

“ that was an instrument of Jesus’s death! Why would you wear that? If he was shot with a gun would you wear a gun around your neck?”

? hey those people were serious 

But God made us all unique, I just don’t get mad I move on, that’s the best thing to do, it’s my salvation and judging them isn’t helping me achieve my goal it’s just a stumbling block ? 

SHALOM❤️